Italian Sausage Soup

This soup is hearty and filling. It is full of TONS of veggies and is oh so good. I made this for our family Christmas Eve party this year. This recipe came from Miss Bunny McGreggor. She was the lady at our elementary school, Shelyn Elementary in Rowland Heights California, that would walk down the lunch line and hand out our lunch tickets. The school put together a cookbook one year and our mom picked out this recipe and we have been making it ever since. So thanks Miss Bunny!

I've also decided that soup and casseroles do not photograph very well. It just looks like a big mess in a bowl. I also could probably use some food photography lessons...But don't let that stop you from trying this soup. Oh look! You can see my ceiling fan and me taking the photo in the reflection of the spoon. Is that called art, or just bad photography skills? I'll go with art.

1 medium onion diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
4 stalks celery diced
1 green pepper diced
5 Italian sausages cooked and cooled (I HATE fennel so I substitute German sausages and just add Italian Seasoning to the soup. Feel free to do the same because fennel is gross!)
carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms, and any other veggies you like, diced.
8oz. shell pasta
4 C. beef broth
1 1/2 C. water
1/2 can tomato paste
salt and pepper

1. In a large soup pot, saute together in olive oil the onion, celery, garlic, and green pepper.
2. Cut up sausage into bite sized pieces and add to pot along with all the other ingredients except the shell pasta.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until veggies are tender. 
4. Add shells and cook 10 minutes more. You can add more liquid if needed.

Pastel Cream Wafers

Happy New Year!

These are a family traditional cookie that we make around the holidays. They are light flaky cookies with delicious creamy filling. As I made these last week I wondered why we don't make them year round. We really should!

They are so delicate... and yummy.

Okay enough tasting, here's the recpie.

Cookies
1 C. butter softened

1/3 C. heavy cream

2 C. flour

 

Filling

1/4 C. butter softened

3/4 C. powdered sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 egg yolk (weird, I know, but trust me on this)

food coloring of choice (we always divide the frosting and do 1/2 green and 1/2 red, which turns out to be pink but that's just how it's always been so we don't mess with it.)

1. Mix the butter, cream, and flour. (The dough is NOT sweet as you can see so don't taste it unless you like eating pie dough.)
2. Chill dough for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
3. Roll out dough out thin and cut with a small round cookie cutter.
4. Dip rounds in sugar to coat.
5. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and prick each cookie four times with a fork.
6. Bake 7-9 minutes. Do not over bake.
7. Whip all filling ingredients and make little sandwiched using filling and two cookies.